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Black Eight
Black Eight is a 5-issue miniseries created and written by MasterNoomiZ. It follows the fearsome Black Eight Squadron of the Empire, that was first seen in the tenth episode of Star Wars Rebels: Season 2. It takes place before Star Wars: Rebels. Issues Issue 1: Black Eight #1 In 4 BBY, the Black Eight Squadron, one of the most feared starfighter squadrons in the Galactic Empire, arrived above Kallos aboard the Consecutor. As they disbarked on their mission, they were led by Darth Vader and Captain Eclipse. Vader orders the Black Eight Squadron to engage and destroy the orbiting pirate fleet while he heads down to the surface and hunt down the Jedi traitor. As Vader breaks off, and the squadron heads for the pirate fleet of Acclamator-class Assault Ships, Eclipse's wingmate Black Two realizes from data-analysis that one of the Acclamators is equipped with an orbital cannon. Eclipse and Black Two divert from the rest of the squadron who are ordered to attack the bridge and go on a direct assault against the cruiser carrying the orbital cannon. They first destroy the supports and the control tower, before launching proton torpedo's against the cannon itself, obliterating it. Black Two returns to support the remainder of the Black Eight Squadron, while Captain Eclipse updates Vader on the situation at hand. Vader orders them to take out all of the cruisers and come to the surface once they are done. Black Two informs Captain Eclipse that if they attack the cruisers at certain points, they can force a chain reaction in the ships collapsing all of them. Captain Eclipse agrees and orders all fighters to return to the Consecutor except for Black Three and Black Four. The four of them engage one of the Acclamators in combat, getting swarmed by V-19 Torrent Starfighters. Black Two and Black Four take many down, while Eclipse and Black Three tear through the hull of one of the Acclamators, even going in and blowing up the reactor, causing a chain reaction, destroying the Acclamator, but also crashing it into two others. Eventually all five the Acclamators are taken out this way because of them crashing into each other or getting instantly destroyed by fire of the Black Eights. Captain Eclipse and the three pilots fly down to the planet where they meet with Moff Nas Pennir, who informs them that Vader and his troops have come under heavy fire in the mountainous region. Pennir orders them to assist and retaliate against anyone there. As they plan their flight, Captain Eclipse wingmates are revealed to be Black Two as Iden Versio, daughter of Garrick Versio, Black Three to be a young pilot named Tycho Celchu and Black Four to be an elder pilot named Tam Agamar. Agamar is initially worried about the fact that they might get collateral damage through the surrounding villages of the staging area, however Captain Eclipse and Sergeant Versio both inform them that all means are allowed to free their Lord. As Moff Pennir allows them to take off, they set course for the destination. Issue 2: Black Eight #2 A small mountain-cut stronghold was built by a group of rebels overlooking a valley behind them and the rebels were quite capable of holding back the Imperial forces led by Darth Vader himself. Aside from being well-trained, they were led by rogue Jedi Knight Jonon Karr, who leads them through a Force Technique called Battle Meditation. Vader is held back by an invisible forcefield that he cannot break through yet. Vader gives Karr one more chance to surrender but Karr doesn't yield so the Black Eight Squadron sweeps in, assaulting the stronghold from above with Captain Eclipse and Black Three dropping ordnance on them. Iden Versio and Tam Agamar arrive with Vader who orders them to take a squad of Imperial Flametroopers around the stronghold in stealth. As Vader directs heavy blasterfire directly at the stronghold and Eclipse and Celchu complete another three bombing runs before joining Vader on the ground. Vader gives Karr a last chance before he would make the people around him pay. When Karr doesn't give in, Vader gives the Flametroopers the go-ahead and they set flame to the fields around the village behind the stronghold, making Karr realize that they snuck around him. Karr orders his men to keep fighting, while he heads down there himself to stop the Flametroopers, but with that comes across Tam and Iden. Iden and Tam attempt to fight him, but his Jedi prowess makes him a credible opponent. Iden and Tam retreat, while Karr slaughters the Flametroopers and retreats into the stronghold, only to find his troops at the mercy of the Stormtroopers and Vader as Vader demands Karr to come out of hiding. Seeing no other option, Karr appears and faces down Vader and the members of Black Eight Squadron. Vader and Karr engage each other while attackers come from the village behind the stronghold. Eclipse, Iden and Tam are forced to defend themselves when Celchu reports that wreckage is coming down around them of the pirate fleet previously destroyed. This destabalizes the stronghold enough so that Karr can escape from Vader and the squadron members. Knowing Karr probably retreated into the village behind the stronghold, and despite Eclipse and Celchu attempting to bring him to other ideas, Vader ordes the Squadron to bomb the village to force Karr to come out of hiding. The Squadron takes to the skies, while Celchu and Versio debate the bombing and they set course for the village, ready to release their deadly payload. Issue 3: Black Eight #3 Black Eight Squadron executes a bombing run on the village behind the stronghold in order to draw Jonon Karr out of hiding, all the while Darth Vader is just meditating within the stronghold. As the squadron is above the village, they begin unleashing their ordnance, laying waste to the first rows of houses and huts. The minimal resistance of anti-starfighter batteries makes Tycho Celchu worry its a completely civillian target, but Tam Agamar orders him to bite through it. While the bombing continues, Captain Eclipse notices Celchu is holding back. Finally the continuous bombing yields results as Jonon Karr comes out of hiding to confront Vader face to face again. Vader demands to find out where Karr's master is, but Karr tells him he killed his master years ago after the events of the Clone Wars. Vader then tells him he will die in his place. As they begin fighting, Iden Versio rounds up any survivors of the carnage of the stronghold, including a girl named Ember Crysella. When they are ordered to execute the prisoners to set an example, Iden and Tycho hesitate but the others still follow and kill the rebels. Iden ultimately follows suite and kills a few, but her hesitation gives the girl enough time to hide from view. Vader and Karr fight each other still and Vader gets the upperhand over him. Vader tells Karr he cannot win, he will always be the better one, but Karr doesn't give up, managing to disarm Vader. As Captain Eclipse orders the Stormtroopers to burn the bodies outside, she demands to know why Iden hesitated, but Tycho comes to her defense. Captain Eclipse lets it roll and orders them to hunt down and kill the one person that escaped, the girl that Iden gave the oppurtunity to escape. Iden and Tycho are escorted by a squad of Stormtroopers to ensure that the person that got away is executed. While Tam and Captain Eclipse look over them leaving with the squad, Vader has regained the upperground and holds Karr in a Force Choke. Vader orders Karr to divulge the true location of his master to him, but Karr reiterates that Vader killed him during Operation Knightfall, he was there when Vader and the 501st Legion stormed the Jedi Temple, he was there when he couldn't prevent Vader from killing the Younglings and he was there when the world around them burned. Vader has had enough and snaps his neck before driving his lightsaber through Karr, killing him. He then contacts Emperor Palpatine informing him Karr is dead, but that his master is still in the wind. The Emperor orders him to hunt the master down and that Imperial Intelligence has located him possibly on Malastare. The Emperor then orders Vader to leave no survivors in his wake. As Captain Eclipse and Tam return to him, Vader orders them to decimate the stronghold and the village and burn it down to the ground. While Tam and Captain Eclipse take to the skies, Iden and Tycho are searching through the village door by door, with Iden and the Stormtroopers ruthlessly killing any survivors. It is Tycho however who finds Ember and before he can do anything Stormtroopers arrive at his place. Making a split moment decision, Tycho turns against the Stormtroopers and kills them, before shooting himself in the shoulder, telling the girl to run. The girl disappears from the village as Iden and Stormtroopers arrive at his position. Issue 4: Black Eight #4 Just before Iden Versio arrives with a group of Stormtroopers, Tycho Celchu tells the girl to run and he will keep their cover. He shoots himself in the shoulder and then takes a burned up body next to him and a flamethrower from a dead Imperial Flametrooper. As Iden arrives, he manages to convince her that the girl resisted and shot him in the shoulder, before he killed her and burned her. Iden buys it and they return to the stronghold, while a lieutenant of the Stormtroopers arrive and investigates the scene. Lieutenant Bels realizes from the investigation that the facts do not add up. As Celchu and Versio return to Darth Vader and Captain Eclipse, Vader learns that the girl is dead and all villagers and resistance fighters are dead. At that point the ground is rocked and the Black Eight Squadron led by Tam Agamar firebombs and decimates the village. This lightens the load on Celchu as he believes that all evidence to him is destroyed now. Vader orders the Black Eight Squadron to pack up their stuff and return to the Consecutor. As Tam, Iden and Tycho begin getting their fighters in the air, Captain Eclipse and Vader meet with Lieutenant Bels who informs that irregularities have been found during the operation to hunt down the last survivor of the execution. Captain Eclipse realizes that it is either Iden or Tycho who killed the Stormtroopers. Vader orders Captain Eclipse to take care of it as she and Tam return to the TIE Fighters and proceed to question Iden, who relays her exact actions and grid patterns, which confirm to what Bels knew from his investigation, resulting in Iden not being sought after as the possible traitor. The irregularities start when they question Tycho, who seemingly tries to convince them of his innocense. He manages to get away from them, but Bels, Eclipse and Vader find out that it doesn't add up and Vader orders Celchu to be grounded and taken for interrogation. Just when they attempt to find his location, Celchu has entered his own TIE Fighter and flies off. Vader orders Eclipse to take her remaining teammates and shoot him down. As she, Iden and Tam launch, Iden attempts to talk Celchu down, but he tells her he has had enough of their fight for the Empire. He heads to the lower atmosphere as he outflanks the other three, who meet up with the remainder of the Squadron. Hiding in clouds, Celchu's TIE singles out Tam's TIE Fighter and disables it with a small electronic pulse, ordering Tam to stand down as he doesn't want to do this. Tam nevertheless uses emergency power to shoot at Celchu, but Celchu's TIE is faster and shoots, blowing Tam's fighter up and killing Tam. At that point Captain Eclipse and Iden outflank him again and both shoot to kill, first destroying the left wing of the TIE of Tycho, but after one more warning shot, Eclipse shoots and blows Celchu's TIE to smithereens, leaving nothing but ashes behind. As they mourn the loss of Tam, Lieutenant Bels orders ISB Agents to take them into custody until they can figure out how far the treachery of the pilots have run. Issue 5: Black Eight #5 Aboard the Consecutor, Lieutenant Bels begins the interrogation of Iden Versio and Captain Eclipse, forcing them to recount all the events that transpired since they arrived on Kallos over and over. While Captain Eclipse makes no mistake and is acquitted from any crime or allegation of being a defector, however small inconsistencies in Iden's story make Bels believe she might be a defector too. Bels threatens her to bring in an Imperial Loyalty Officer to get her to talk, but as Iden declines to devulge more information, Captain Eclipse and Darth Vader watch over the interrogation. Captain Eclipse admits they have succeeded in the mission, the Jedi has been eliminated. Vader tells her that their missions is not over, Jonon Karr's master is still somewhere out there, he can feel his presence. Bels joins them and informs Eclipse that there is a secondary reason, Karr was a high ranking member of Clone Intelligence during the Clone Wars and a liaison between the Jedi Council and Clone Intelligence. Along with that, the Master evaded Order 66 because he preferred to use a trained militia of natural born soldiers instead of Clone Troopers. Eclipse deduces that they want the Jedi Master as well and request to be assigned to the hunt. Vader disagrees and orders Bels to stop the interrogation of Iden, he has more use for her as an aseet in the Empire then as a target for an investigation. Iden and Captain Eclipse meet with Vader on the bridge, where he informs that Iden is to be transferred out of the Black Eight Squadron and will be stationed and be training with an elite new starfighter unit aboard the Death Star. Vader also announces that Captain Eclipse and the remainder of the Black Eight Squadron are transferred back to Coruscant on orders of the Emperor. Vader then leaves aboard his personal TIE Advanced v1. Captain Eclipse congratulates Iden on the promotion and they part ways on friendly terms as Iden boards her personal TIE Fighter to join the new fleet. At that point the Consecutor enters Hyperspace, as a small freighter enters the system from Hyperspace and it lands on the planet. As revealed aboard the freighter is Garven Dreis, the commander of the Rebel Alliance Red Squadron that reacted to a distress call. As he seeks the coordinates of the distress call he discovers a small hutt, where Ember Crysella is hiding. When asked whether she send the distress call, she admits she didn't but reveals who did, Tycho Celchu! Celchu survived because he remotely piloted his TIE Fighter, feigning the escape from the Imperial base and therefore was not harmed in the explosion. Regretting that he had to kill his friend and squadron mate Tam Agamar, Celchu surrenders to Dreis and requests to be transferred to a Rebel Alliance holding cell and he will share all the intel he can with the Rebels. Dreis agrees to take Ember and Celchu with him aboard, restraining Celchu, before they take off from the planet and make the jump to Hyperspace. In the end Tam Agamar is given a pilot's burial akin to the Black Eight Squadron's tradition, by putting his charred remains into a casket and shooting it into space before firing three well aimed shots at it, making it explode, unting Tam once and for all with the Universe. Captain Eclipse and the remainder of her squadron then enter Hyperspace again, setting course for Coruscant.